my baby lovebird is approx. 2 weeks old. When is it a good time to take him out of the nest? feedings?

Question

he's about 34grams and moves a lot. he has a lot of baby down and you can see his wing feathers starting to grow. his eyes are fully open.

Answer 1

If you want to hand feed in order to make a better pet out of him, this is the age to start (maybe even a little earlier) But... before you do this, you should know what you are doing. Research how to hand feed,, know you will have to devote hours every single day without fail. At this age they have to be fed every 3-4 hours except at night time. This means you can't go to school/work/shopping all day until he is weaned. That's several weeks from now. Make sure you know what to do, and how to do it before starting this. Once you take him out for several days, you can't give him back to mama if you get tired of feeding.

If you aren't ready to take this on, and only want to handle it a little so it is less afraid after weaning, you can handle it for a few minutes, a few times a day as long as it doesn't seem to make mom/dad nervous. It doesn't get the same results as hand feeding, but will help a good bit in making it a better pet.

Answer 2

My first recommendation is to find a breeder or vet in your area that can talk to you about hand feeding the birds, and show you proper technique if you have never done this before.
Usually around 2 weeks is when they are pulled for hand feeding. It is a lot of work, they need to be fed every couple hours (I usually start my birds off every 4-5 hours at first), gradually increasing the time span as they get older. If you decide to do it, you can't give them back if you get tired of feeding. It really runs into everyday plans. Things like shopping, going out, school, work, etc all need to be arranged in a way that someone is going to be able to feed the birds every time they are due. You will need a type of brooder box, a way to keep the chicks a consistent, safe temperature, and an easy way to check on them frequently. You will also need baby bird formula, something to feed them with (needless syringe, bent spoon, however you decide to do it) and a thermometer to check the temperature of the formula. Too hot and you can severely burn the chicks, too cool and it can lead to sour crop. If you think you might not want to hand feed you can always just start handling the baby, play with it a few times a day to get it used to being handled, and a little less wild.

Answer 3

You do not remove a baby bird from its nest, you wait for him to come out on his own, assuming that he has parent birds caring for him.